Well this is the result of my first crack at making a cafe racer seat, or any fiberglass construction for that matter. Overall I'm happy with the result. If i had to do it again i probably wouldn't, lol... I didn't mind the work (and there is a lot of work) but the materials cost more than i thought they would. I ended up needing twice as much resin as i planned... Anyway I think there are some pretty nice seats out there for around $160 (http://www.cb750cafe.com/parts.php?id=10) I think I ended up spending $60 for resin, $20 for the fiber, plus I still have to use a butt load of body filler, which is not cheap... so for the amount of work i put into this seat I think I'll buy my next one. I don't want to discourage anyone though, I'M PROUD of the seat I built because it is designed specifically for MY bike, it is exactly the length i want, it has the lines i want, and the battery fits perfectly under the seat. I'm just glad I'm finished, lol. Here are some pics....
Fiberglass boxy seat
- Thread starter Will McD
- Start date
78kz
Over 1,000 Posts
Good job!
I'm going to have my first try at a seat this Winter, similar lines to yours.
Not in fiberglass, but from a flexable 4x8 sheet I have. Was $70 a sheet on sale for $10.
I was going to use it for the surface for a skate board ramp. It's thin, flexable and smooth.
Just have to cut it and form it.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
I'm going to have my first try at a seat this Winter, similar lines to yours.
Not in fiberglass, but from a flexable 4x8 sheet I have. Was $70 a sheet on sale for $10.
I was going to use it for the surface for a skate board ramp. It's thin, flexable and smooth.
Just have to cut it and form it.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
rphilli550
Been Around the Block
what did you use to shape your seat?
kevineleven
New Member
locOleoN said:
Birch?
rphilli550 said:
I shaped the seat out of several pieces of blue foam I glued together. (I think the foam is used for insulating) I drew out the shape I wanted on the side and cut it out using a band saw (you will need a band saw that will clear the width of the seat) Then I sanded it (This is the hard part because the foam is easily riped by the sandpaper causing holes in the foam) After it was sanded and I was happy with the shape, I had to paint it with some water based paint to protect it from the body filler I will put on later (the body filler or any enamels/oil paints will eat the foam) I put the body filler on and sanded it again. At this point the seat should look pretty much how the final product will look. Then I smeared some vasaline over the seat and mixed up some plaster of paris. I placed the seat on a smooth surface and covered the top and sides and back and front in the plaster. Then when the plaster was dry I used a torch to melt the foam and i peeled the paint and bodyfiller off the plaster (the vaseline keeps it from sticking) Then I used the plaster mold for the fiberglass.
ps: much harder than it sounds
